Ghosts of the Past
by Finished and Gone
Summary: Five years after Sozin's Comet, Zuko sets out to give back a girl her Ostrich Horse back but a dark secret is waiting to unfold and what he will find is shocking. Slight Zuko/Song, Katara/Jet and eventually a Zutara


Five years had passed since the events of Sozin's comet.

The world came to know a better place; acres upon acres of land were prospering in rich agriculture and new-grown sentiments of humanity. Thanks to the Avatar and his friends, people placed their differences aside and embraced the cultures of their fellow brethren.

Through the five years of intense change, the people welcomed new ideas. Some relationships fell out, some were renewed and some were blossoming like the sakura trees outside Zuko's palace.

All hailed the Dynasty of Fire-Lord Zuko, whose tact and wise judgement had given peace to those who were longing for salvation. But one person who hadn't found peace yet was the Fire-Lord himself.

The last few years had been very stressful; he ended his relationship with Mei after a silly argument about attending a meeting with the new Earth King, Toph. The doleful event left his heart weary, marred with rage and sorrow.

He sat in the palace gardens beside the lake that beheld splintered memories of his childhood, cold and unmoving like his past. Zuko crossed his legs, closed his eyes in an attempt to meditate.

He sighed in vain. It was hard to pay attention to anything anymore with all the tasks that burdened on his shoulders. The twenty-one year old ruler finally admitted that he was bored, fed-up with his life.

All that remained were handles to doors of the past, waiting for him to revisit moments once again.

So he did.

The memory that crossed his mind was the time when he a came across, Song, the girl who nursed Uncle Iroh back to health and gave him a whole new perspective about the Fire Nation at the time.

What did Zuko do to show his appreciation? He stole her family's Ostrich-Horse. The thought left an unpleasant, tight feeling in Zuko's throat. Back then, all he wanted to do was to survive but reflecting on this now, he knew he was selfish.

It occurred to him then that one can't change the past but one can redeem himself.

So Fire-Lord Zuko set off to the Earth Kingdom. He cropped his hair back to the length he previously had during Sozin's Comet.

Zuko wore green and beige garments to blend in with the Earth nation. A straw hat covered his dark feathery hair for shade against the fiery sun that prevailed over the rocky deserts (And maybe to hide his identity).

The young king travelled on (ironically) an Ostrich Horse. Another one trailed with him. He will set things right and return what he had stolen that day. He will apologise to them and give them his blessings...

But upon arriving at the small village-or the remains of it, Zuko came to a halt.

He surveyed the area with amber eyes; his heart was like a heavy weight in the vacuum of his chest. Zuko swung off the Ostrich Horse and walked to the ruins of Song's house.

The roof was caving in, singed like the scar on his face, broken like the shards of his past. The door looked like it was torn open by an axe. Tiny pieces of glass remained scattered across the sand.

Zuko stood opposite the door. He swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat.

It was hard not to think about it. He imagined it all. Song's family was invaded by the Fire Nation-_his _people.

Zuko whimpered, his gaze fell to the burnt wooden pavement he was standing on- the place where Song had shown him her scar.

This could have been stopped-Did they run away? Were they safe?

Were they still _alive_? How could they have run away when he stole their only means of transport?

Zuko slammed his palm on his forehead and ran it through his hair. He forced the tears back to the edge of his vision like the time he did when his Mother left, like the time he did when his father stained the scar of discipline and hatred across his face, like the time Katara was willing to help in the underground cave.

Unconsciously, his body moved on its own. He entered the damaged house. It had a grey interior.

Zuko clutched his stomach as the bile rose to his throat. It was too late to hold it back.

The walls and floors were blotted with darks shadows of blood. Cobwebs hung around all the objects. Overall, it was unwelcoming. The house was warning him to go back outside.

Zuko defiantly took another step forward. His foot crunched over glass. He knelt to find a picture in a broken frame. It was splattered with rusty spots of blood but he could make out a family standing together behind all the blood.

The wind blew through the smashed windows causing the dusty curtains to blow frantically. Zuko gasped and realised the shadow of a girl behind the curtains.

"Song?" he asked, his heard pounded against his ribcage. The figure remained still; he could make out her long hair blowing with the movements of the curtains.

Was she here to punish him for his sin?

Zuko fell to the floor on his hands and knees and let out a petulant sob.

"Song...I'm so sorry. I was selfish. Forgive me. I was blinded by the arrogance of youth. It was foolishness that got the better of me. You helped me so much and I...Forgive me, Song..."

To his astonishment, the shadow was walking towards him with an outstretched arm, ready to strike him with vengeance.

Zuko crawled back; eyes shut tight, tears trickling down his pale cheeks. He waited to be beaten. He deserved it for what happened to Song's family and now she was here to get her revenge.

A small hand rested on his shoulder.

"Zuko?" a soft voice whispered.

Zuko's eyes fluttered open and took in the face of Song...

But when they came into full focus, he looked not into the face of the young nurse but into the face of Katara.

She watched him with concern.

"Are you alright?"

Katara had never talked to him for five years yet her presence here brought relief into the young Fire-Lord.

"Katara?" his voice was shaky, anxious and frightened. Katara smiled warmly and wiped the tears on his face with her palm.

"Come on outside. I think some fresh air ought to do you some good."

* * *

They spend the day in a near-by inn, eating dinner and camping outside.

"How's Aang?"Zuko asked. He gazed at the stars which glowed like tears across a shadowed face.

The two were lying in their camping bags on a grass-ridden hill. Katara shifted on her side to face him.

"I haven't seen him for three years."

Zuko glanced at her with surprised.

"Yes, I know. Stupid, right?" Katara laughed slightly, "We went our separate ways. I had to look after my tribe after Gran-Gran's death and Aang had to restore all the Air temples."

"That's...Sad." Zuko felt uncomfortable. He didn't know what to say at something like this.

"No, actually we're very happy. He has to keep travelling around the world and end the new conflicts that keep rising." Katara gazed at the sky, her eyes beheld nostalgia.

"What're you doing here?" Zuko blurted. Katara lifted an eyebrow. Her eyes were like moonbeams in the dark.

"Visiting the past, like you today."

This piqued Zuko's curiosity. Katara was hiding something deep in her own heart just like him but who was the person she wanted to visit again?

"There was a boy I knew who died," Katara began as if reading his mind.

"I'm sorry to hear," Zuko averted his gaze. It was not his place to ask her any further.

"I liked him at one stage but he feigned everything. I thought he was a hero, a fighter. He was handsome but he was also a good liar," Katara continued, "Sokka knew he was bad news but I didn't believe him."

"He almost tricked us into helping his scheme to stop the Fire Nation but in doing so, he was gonna hurt innocent people."

"We met a few months later. I thought he was still blinded by revenge but this time he was controlled by the Dai-Li. He fought off their dominance but injured himself in the fight..." she sniffed and wiped a tear from her eye.

"Oh," Zuko replied blandly. It was obvious what the outcome was.

"He said he would be okay but he lied again and he died as a liar. I never had time to reflect on it back then but after Aang saved the world, the other boy's demise kept bugging me through the past years."

"I came to pay his memory my tributes and on my way back, I bumped into you," she giggled. It was a sad, wistful laugh.

Zuko was now sitting. Katara rose to sit with him.

"Do you think _they_ could ever forgive us?" the Fire-Lord whispered. His heart was heavy with grief. He turned away to hide a tear that had slipped.

"I think they already did, Zuko. I'm sure they would be so happy to know that we remembered them and cared enough to visit where they died - "

Katara gasped softly as Zuko embraced her under the moon. Her arms enclosed around his lean but fit form.

They didn't say anything else because they knew that the ghosts of the past were at peace and they were the very ones that intertwined his and Katara's paths together.

A mellow breeze blew and Zuko could have sworn that he heard a boy and a girl whisper words of thanks in the quiet sounds of the wind.

Zuko's lips curved into a content smile. The dead had given him peace and Katara.

"Thank you Song," he whispered inaudibly.


End file.
